A light source is described in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2004 006 932 B3, which has a diode laser bar having a plurality of narrow emitters situated adjacently in a row in the direction of their longitudinal axis. Associated with the diode laser bar is a device for beam guiding and beam shaping of the laser beam which exits the diode laser bar, the device containing a plurality of optical fibers, situated adjacently in a row, into which the laser beam is injected.
German Patent Application No. DE 10 2004 006 932 B3 also describes producing such a light source by adjacently arranging circular optical fibers and inserting them with their end region into a mold in which they are brought into a rectangular cross section using a hot press method, the extension of the fibers in a first direction remaining approximately unchanged while the extension of the fibers in a second direction is reduced by approximately 25%.
In the industrial use of such methods, it is very important that the fibers are actually shaped to the desired degree, while at the same time excessive squeezing of the fibers is reliably prevented.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method which ensures a defined shaping of the fibers with high accuracy.